CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Jude

 

 

 

MY DICK HARDENING, I watched Cady fight her natural instincts. I knew my words got to her, that she was in the same grip of hot arousal as me. She loved to dance just on the edge of proper and perverted. With me, her perverted side always won out.

I moved closer as she licked her lips. She watched me from half-lowered lids. But when I reached her, she pushed at my chest weakly.

“Do you remember, darlin’?”

“Don’t, Jude.”

“Don’t what?” Angling my head, I roughly whispered near her ear before touching the soft lobe with my tongue. “Remind you what you’re missing out on?”

Breath shuddered from her lips, stuttering across my neck.

I caged my arms above her, trapping her between my body and the wall. “Tell me you want me.”

Her hands stroked up to my shoulders before she dropped them to her sides. “I can’t.”

Lazily licking and pulling at her tasty little earlobe, I bent my knees so her pelvis cradled my rock solid cock. “’Course you can. We both know it’s true.”

“Stop. Stop. Please.” Her pretty hazel eyes lifted to me.

I backed away, the corners of my mouth curling up a little. “You sure do blow hot and cold. But I know you’re really hot. And I already told you, I’m a patient man, Cady.”

She busied herself, fixing her immaculate hairstyle, straightening her tight skirt. Buying time to gather all the armor she seemed to need around me. I could almost see the wheels turning in her head.

“I have a favor to ask.” Her voice held a shaky note.

Hoped it wasn’t another halfhearted plea for me to keep my cock in my pants. We both knew I was wearing her down.

“Shoot.” I sat on the arm of the sofa.

“Can you stay late tomorrow night?”

“Hell, I can move in if you want.” I hit her with a smirk.

She immediately glanced away, fidgeting with her pretty dress again. “No . . . I . . .”

Oh yeah, she was flustered.

“I have a date.”

I straightened as if someone had shoved a spike down the center of my spine. Or maybe right through my heart.

“On Thursday night.” My voice came out flat while I tried to contain the immediate flare of anger ignited inside me.

“Yes.” She met my glare dead-on, not flinching.

“On our night.”

She nodded.

I should’ve fucking known. That goddamn question she’d asked Halloween night, about me seeing other chicks. Like I was gonna just go out and hook up with a random. As if that’d help me get over her.

Now she’d done the one thing I never expected, and it cut motherfucking deep.

Exploding to my feet, I made a genuine effort to keep my voice down when all I wanted to do was shout at the top of my lungs and shake some fucking sense into the woman. “You can’t be fucking serious.”

I stalked toward her but stopped when she shrank back. Fists balled at my sides. Muscles clenched in my jaw.

“I am.”

I really wanted to punch something. Instead, I wheeled around and paced to the fireplace, bracing my palms on the mantle. Hanging my head, I counted to ten. Then to twenty.

I didn’t know she’d approached until I felt her soft hand on my forearm.

I swung around, and she hopped back.

My words came out deadly low. “Don’t touch me right now. Don’t even—”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah. I don’t think you are.”

“I shouldn’t have asked.”

“What you shouldn’t have done was said yes to another fucking man, and you damn well know it.” Jealousy made my voice vibrate like the muscles quaking all along my body.

She stood there, wringing her hands. And maybe she finally felt a shred of guilt about what she was doing to me. Doing to us. But she was stubborn as hell, and it didn’t matter if I didn’t agree to watch Dane, Luke, and Aiden tomorrow night. She’d just find someone else.

Like whoever had done kid duty all those nights she spent with me.

I pushed a fist against my mouth, closing my eyes against the sight of her.

Finally blowing out a breath that sounded more like a disgusted noise than anything else, I glanced at her. “Fine. I’ll do it. And you wanna know why?”

She remained silent, but her face was a hell of a lot paler than before.

And I got right up in that face. “So you can go out and realize what you’re missing right in front of your very eyes, lady.”

She opened her mouth, but before she could reply, the boys burst in. Talking a mile a minute as usual, but all I really heard was the roar of blood in my ears as I continued to stare at Cady for several aching heartbeats.

Without another word, not even a bye to the boys, I scooped up my keys, pocketed my phone, and slammed out of the house.

Let her deal with the fallout.

****

The next morning, I showed up at Cady’s, still enraged. The boys gave me wide berth, which I regretted, and when Cady and I were in the same room together they watched us both closely.

I hated to break it to Cady, but her kids weren’t stupid, and they knew something was up. Hell, they’d caught us making out several weeks ago.

I didn’t say a single word to the woman, going about my business like it was none of her business. Apparently the same way she wanted me to treat her.

I’d been fucking unbearable last night. Dad had tried to talk sense into me then given up when I remained silent. I sure as hell didn’t want to badmouth Cady in front of him, in front of anyone for that matter. He settled for turning the TV up louder every time I slammed something in the kitchen or slapped something down on the porch.

Jesus, even Skunk skedaddled after I threw a football so hard the screen window almost buckled and broke.

I’d finally taken my bad mood outside, stomping down to the dock. Where, of course, I couldn’t help but think of that fine day I’d shared with Cady right in this very spot.

The woman infuriated me. Her and her stupid age thing. If she didn’t want a man in her life, why the hell was she going on a date?

If she just wanted a quick fuck, she knew I’d be happy to oblige, especially since screwing her seemed to be the only way I could reach her.

I’d laid back on the silvery wooden dock, looking up at the dark sky, barking an even darker laugh.

Yeah, last night had sucked. Today was no better, every hour endless. I returned home to take Dad to a doctor’s appointment, exchanging no more than a few curt words with him. Then I headed over to Wando High School with the thought that helping Coach Jay hump equipment around—letting him treat me like a pack mule—might take my mind off my Big Bad Mood.

It didn’t.

Nothing worked.

Because nothing would work without Cady, and I’d already known that for a long damn time.

I got the boys from school. Took Aiden to his jazz guitar lesson, dropped Dane at chess, watched Luke at football where he did what he could with the aid of only one arm and strict instructions to stay out of the play zone.

I ignored Cady when she got home, even though she hung around the kitchen while the boys scarfed dinner down. All of their eyes way bigger than normal. All of their mouths way quieter than normal.

After dinner, and cleaning up, they’d gone to the neighbors to play on their RipStiks.

I hadn’t spoken to Cady all day, and I fucking missed her. But I had some goddamn pride I needed to salvage, and she didn’t make it easy on me.

Maybe I should just forget this thing building between us. Just let her go. Find something else, someone else, to occupy my life. Get in touch with Peyton Fox and try to resurrect my career . . .

After grabbing a beer from the fridge, I sat out back by the pool, listening to the crickets and the frogs. It might’ve been November, but the weather remained what I liked to call southern sultry.

I heard the door open, then high heels clicking on the pavers.

“Jude.” Cady’s voice carried through the night. “I’m leaving now.”

I didn’t want to look.

I had to look.

I wished I’d never looked.

Just one look at her, my head tipping sideways, and I was up on my feet in an instant, the beer, the frogs, the boys forgotten.

Cady held still, like she’d been caught in a snare, while I walked around her. This latest dress was as tasteful as all the others, but stunningly sexy at the same time. Completely white with full sleeves cinched at the wrist, the dress had a long center plunge, revealing a slice of skin and the inner hills of her cleavage. The sheer white panel across her entire upper back made it clear she wasn’t wearing a bra.

She looked southern sultry.

I wanted to touch her, but I wouldn’t. Not again, not until she admitted she was mine.

Coming around to her front, my face sharpened into hard planes. “We both know you’re wearing that dress for me.”

Cady blinked up at me, and her hand drifted to her cleavage, right where I wanted to bury my mouth.

She didn’t deny the dress was for my benefit, and I took one step closer, a handbreadth from brushing against her.

She had to tip her neck to peer at me, lashes sweeping up to her slim eyebrows.

She had to feel the heat of my gaze, because I was fully aroused and still so goddamn angry.

“Why are you doing this?” A muscle leaped in my jaw.

“Because Troy is smart and handsome and successful—”

“Whoa. Are you calling me some kind of layabout or something?” I barred my arms across my chest, sneering.

“And he’s a few years older than me.” She lifted that stubborn chin even more.

“Goddammit, Cady!” I blasted out. “Fine. You go on your date with Troy, and I’ll just be here looking after your kids.”

She flinched, but I’d already recognized my lower-than-low blow. I sounded just like her jackass ex-husband.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”

“Just let me go, Jude,” she whispered, beseeching. “Let me go now before one of us gets really hurt.”

“It’s already too late for that.” But I stepped aside.

Against every instinct screaming in my body, I let her go.